To understand how flooding can damage your home, you need to know about six important flood characteristics: depth/elevation, flow velocity, frequency, rates of rise and fall, duration, and debris impact. Most of these characteristics apply to both riverine and coastal flooding, and they can vary – sometimes greatly – from one place to another. The flood conditions at a particular site, such as the location of your home, are determined largely by the combination of these characteristics. The articles in this series explain these characteristics and the effects they have on flood damage.